Nagaon, June 25: The Jayanta Rongpi-led group of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) proposed to move its mother organisation with the proposal of reunion after a gap of four years. The last three elections, including the district council’s election, has taught them that reunion between the two is the only way to regain legitimacy in the politics of the two hill districts of Assam.
In a press release, the Rongpi-led Progressive faction, in conjunction with its students’ and women’s wings and the CPI(M-L), offered to work together with the mother unit of ASDC “to keep the anti-regional political forces away from the electoral race in the hills”.
The Progressive faction claimed that the split in the party in August 2000 was the reason behind the arrival of the Congress to power in the two district councils.
“It is time to set aside all past mistakes and make an effort for a joint movement in the days to come,” the release stated.
The political party came into being in 1986 with Rongpi as the president and Holiram Terang as the general secretary.
Till 2000, the ASDC ruled the two district councils, while the five Assembly constituencies in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills as well as the autonomous state Lok Sabha constituency were represented by the ASDC for more than a decade.
Progressive faction propaganda secretary Samual Ranghang today said the question of identity of the CPI (M-L) led to the division in the party as the Holiram-led faction was strongly against the political nexus between his party and the Left group.
Rongpi’s faction later formed the ASDC (P), which was backed by the Left. “We want a reunion of the Left group and the ASDC and for this the Progressive faction would be dissolved if necessary,” said Ranghang.
ASDC chief Terang today made it clear that they are not interested in considering the offer of the Rongpi faction.